FILE - In this March 13, 2020 file photo, a nurse at a drive-up coronavirus testing station set up by the University of Washington Medical Center wears a face shield and other protective gear as she waits by a tent in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

Three more deaths in B.C.’s long-term care facilities due to COVID-19

Three more people in long-term care have died from COVID-19 in B.C., health officials confirmed Saturday (April 18).

In her weekend update, B.C.’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that 29 more people had tested positive for the novel coronavirus since Friday, bringing the total number of active confirmed cases to 550.

Despite the new cases, hospitalizations remain steady, Henry said.

“We can’t lose sight of the fact we continue to have people who are affected by this, we continue to have transmission,” Henry said. “We are not at a point where we can let up.”

Since the coronavirus touched down in B.C., 987 of the 1,647 people who tested positive for the virus have fully recovered.

Eighty-one people have died, with a majority of those cases being seniors and linked to outbreaks at care homes. Henry said 288 people have contracted the virus in long-term care or assisted living facilities.